“For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.”—2Corinthians 12:8

When I pray, sometimes I feel sad when God does not answer the way I think He should, but God always has the best in mind for His child when He denies a prayer request.

I have prayed for sixteen years to stop coughing, but the Lord continues to say, “No, not now.” I know others have much worse conditions than I, but it is difficult to cough around my grandchildren and hear them ask, “Why doesn’t Jesus stop your coughing?”

God did not cause sickness, sin did. I tell my grandchildren that someday in Heaven we will never get sick. I have prayed for the Lord to help me find a lost piece of jewelry and have miraculously found it, but then other times my treasure is lost forever. Sometimes I pray, and the Lord says, “No.”

How do you respond when you pray God will provide funds for a project and the funds come in but then are depleted because of a medical issue causing you to have to borrow money to pay for your project? How do you handle the no’s in your Christian walk?

The no’s remind us to check our hearts. The Lord has a right to say, “No,” you know. We do not like it when our child whines and complains about our denials. I know we need to keep knocking, but if the deadline has passed, accept the Lord’s no. He always has something better in mind for His child.